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Story:Star Trek: Federation Legacy/The Price of Liberty
|author= |published=June 11, 2013 |stardate=83164.0 ( , 2409) |next=" " }} The U.S.S. Leviathan responds to a distress call from the S.S. Break Even, but is attacked by a Klingon vessel intent on gaining an advantage in the war with the United Federation of Planets. __TOC__ The Price of Liberty Act One Red alert sirens blare on the bridge of a Starfleet vessel that is under attack. Several conduits in the walls and ceiling have ruptured, spewing various fumes around the bridge. The captain is sitting in his chair, frantically trying to hold his ship together. "Ensign, fire photons!" he yells to the tactical officer. "Aye, sir," a young officer, named Jason Fredricks, responds. The ship sustains a hit, and an explosion kills two officers. "Sir, our shields are failing, and structural integrity is at 32%!" the ops officer shouts in dismay. The captain stares at his opponent gravely through the viewscreen. "This is it then," he whispers solemnly to himself. The enemy vessel, a Klingon Vor'cha battle cruiser, fires another volley of torpedoes at them. Fredricks' console explodes in front of him, severely burning him and causing him to fall to the floor in excruciating pain. He suddenly wakes up in his bed and looks around him, realizing that he was having a nightmare. Everything seems as it should be; nothing is out of place. He gazes out his apartment window at the well-lit city of downtown San Francisco. He breathes deeply. "Calm down, buddy, you're getting too anxious. It's just graduation. Everything's gonna be okay," he reassures himself as he goes back to sleep. Act Two The following day, at the Starfleet Academy graduation, two groups of cadets are lined up on either side of the stage. Many people are in the audience, mostly friends and family of the graduates. Several admirals are seated behind the podium. One of them stands and walks to the microphone and begins to speak. "Thank you all for coming today to the Starfleet Academy class of 2408 graduation! First, I'd like to thank our amazing Academy staff for organizing this event..." she continues speaking inaudibly in the background. Fredricks is seated next to his best friend, Lucas Wells. "Well, this is it... You brought your speech, right?" Wells asks him. Fredricks looks over at him. "Of course I did," he says smugly. Wells chuckles. "Okay, it better be good, because I'm not clapping if it sucks." Fredricks rolls his eyes. One of the admirals walks over to them. "Jason, are you ready? You're up," he tells him. "Yeah..." Fredricks replies in a slightly nervous tone. "What's wrong?" "Nothing. I'm just not used to speaking in front of crowds." The admiral chuckles. "You'll do fine." "Knock 'em dead, bud," Wells says encouragingly. The female admiral introduces him. "And now, I would like to introduce one of our graduates, Jason Fredricks, who will deliver the valedictory." The crowd applauds as he walks up to the podium. He clears his throat. "Thanks everyone. We... Took a vote for who would get to do this speech, and... Well, here I am." Several chuckles are heard in the audience. Fredricks lets out a nervous chuckle as well. "I-I'd like to thank all of the admirals and Academy staff for putting up with me through four long, hard years. I hope I can give something back to all of you with my service in Starfleet. I'd especially like to thank Admiral Quinn—who, sadly, couldn't be here today—for encouraging me through the rough times. I also want to thank my parents for being there for me," Fredricks pauses to read ahead in his speech. After a moment, he puts the paper down, and begins speaking more confidently. "I've wanted to go out and explore the stars since I was just a kid, and now my dream is finally coming true. Thank you for helping me achieve my goals and become a Starfleet officer." He takes a step back from the podium as the crowd begins to applaud. Several of the admirals seem somewhat impressed by his speech. "Thank you very much, Mr. Fredricks," the female admiral says to him as he walks off the platform. He returns to his seat next to Wells. "So, how bad was it?" he asks. "Eh, I've heard better," Wells replies. Fredricks shakes his head. "There's no pleasing you, is there?" "...I've also heard worse," Wells adds. The female admiral continues speaking. "It is my pleasure to announce the names of the graduating Class of 2408!" She turns to the graduates. "When I call your name, please come and stand by the podium." She turns back to the audience. "Charles Oni, Hannah Freeman, Ernie Hauser, Jeffery Davis, Lenerea Mendel..." Fredricks groans at the mention of Mendel's name. "What's wrong?" Wells asks, noting Fredricks' disgust. "Nothing." Fredricks shakes his head. "Just bad memories." "...T'Vrell, Tala Jones, Elisa Flores..." "Ooh, there's a cute one..." Wells says, his eyes following her to the podium. Fredricks lightly smacks the back of Wells' head. "What was that for?" Wells rubs his head. "You know what it was for." Fredricks smiles. "...Dylyp Azeli, Stan Philips, Serov, Lucas Wells..." "Oh, that's me," Wells says. He walks up to the platform. "...Sofia Wenner, Daniel Harvey, Zarva, Jason Fredricks..." Fredricks walks onto the platform. An admiral hands him his graduation certificate. "Here you are, son." "Thanks, sir," he responds, looking it over. All of the students face the audience. The crowd applauds. Act Three Fredricks reports to the assignment office at Starfleet Academy the following day. He walks up to Lieutenant Ferra, the personnel officer. "Name?" Ferra asks. "Jason Fredricks," he replies. "Ah, yes, Mr. Fredricks. Captain Taggart wanted to talk to you. He's in the office behind me." Fredricks proceeds to the office where Captain Masc Taggart is waiting for him. Taggart is sitting down, reading over some duty rosters. He notices Fredricks walk in. "Oh, just the man I wanted to see!" He stands up and extends a hand toward Fredricks, to which he shakes, returning the greeting. "You wished to see me, sir?" "Yes. I've heard of your skills in weapon tactics. You're the kind of officer that I need on the bridge of the Leviathan." "The... Leviathan?" "Yes. Is that a problem?" "No, sir. I've heard a lot about her, sir. A fine ship from what I'm told." Taggart chuckles. "Indeed; she's served me well for six long years. Now... About that position, what do you think?" "What position would it be, captain?" "My tactical officer, of course. That is, if you're up to the challenge." "Aye, sir. I am." Taggart nods in approval. "Good. I'll see you onboard later today. You should report to the shuttlebay, and meet up with the other personnel." "Aye, captain. Thank you," Fredricks smiles gratefully. "No, thank you, ensign." ... Fredricks enters the main building, and enters a turbolift. He exits the turbolift into the shuttlebay on the upper level, and walks over to the bar where some other cadets are chatting. One of the officers turns around to look Fredricks over. "What ship you get put on, newbie?" the rather buff human asks, in a strong Irish accent. "The Leviathan," Fredricks replies, trying to get the bartender's attention. "Looks like you got the garbage scow of the fleet. I'm going to the Khitomer myself," the red-headed cadet grins. "Name's Daniel Harvey, by the way, but people call me Buck." "Why do they call you that?" "Because, if you try anything stupid, I'll break your face, got it, cadet?" "You know, the more you talk, the more I want to punch you in the face." "Ooh, you're a feisty little one, aren't you? Fredricks, is it?" Harvey scoffs. "You must be awfully proud, getting to speak like a five-year-old in front of a raving audience." An Andorian cadet, named Dylyp Azeli, takes notice of their conflict. "I do not believe it would be wise of the two of you to continue. A physical brawl would certainly be grounds for your ejection from..." "Shut up, Andorian. This is not your concern," Harvey snaps. "He's right, Buck. Besides, you're not worth losing a career over," Fredricks responds. With that, he takes his drink and begins to walk away. "Get back here and fight me, you little coward!" By now, they have attracted the attention of many of the other cadets. Fredricks sips his drink calmly. "Hey Fredricks, was your dad as yellow as you?" Harvey jeers. "The great Thomas Fredricks, too afraid to go out on the front lines, so he enlisted at Utopia Planitia. What a sissy." "Leave my father out of this," Fredricks growls, clenching his fist. "There's nothing cowardly about enlisting at Utopia Planitia," another cadet, Sofia Wenner, adds. "My mother works there." Harvey pays no attention to Wenner. "Ooh, looks like I hit a sore spot. What you gonna do, cry?" Fredricks raises his fist, about to strike, but one of the higher-ranking officers steps in. "Enough, both of you! Get to your designated shuttles and prepare to leave!" "This ain't over, Fredricks," Harvey says, shoving Fredricks out of his way. Fredricks walks up to the deck officer, who raises an eyebrow at him. "All cadets leaving for the Leviathan stand here; all leaving for the Khitomer, stand over there," the officer tells them. The cadets line up. He walks beside them, reading off a list of names. "Ernie Hauser?" "Here," Hauser responds. "Hannah Freeman?" "Here." "Jhael Onika?" "Here." "Jason Fredricks?" "Yeah," Fredricks nods, still angry. "And... Vance L'eher?" "Yes, sir." "The five of you will be boarding Shuttle 7." They walk over to the shuttlecraft and board it. The shuttle takes off and heads for Earth Spacedock, in orbit of Earth. ... The cadets are all sitting inside the shuttle as it exits the atmosphere. After several moments of silence, Hannah Freeman looks over at Fredricks. "Hi, I'm Hannah," she introduces herself. "Jason Fredricks," he replies. "Man, what was all that about back there?" Vance L'eher asks, indicating the incident with Daniel Harvey. "I don't take shit from people," Fredricks replies. "I managed to survive four years at the Academy without bumping into that guy, and I don't care to meet him again." "Hey, everybody, look at this!" Jhael Onika blurts out, pointing out the viewport of the shuttle. They all gaze out the window and see the Leviathan docked inside Earth Spacedock. The shuttle continues closing with the Leviathan. "The U.S.S. Leviathan, Miranda-class cruiser, registry number: NCC-93151, crew complement of 200, maximum speed: Warp Factor 9.2," the Saurian continues, as if reading from a starship manual. "Wow, she's a nice ship," Freeman manages, gazing at the Leviathan with awe. "I dunno, it seems kinda small..." Ernie Hauser comments. "I was hoping for a Galaxy-class." "She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts," the pilot answers. "Shuttlecraft Zeus, you are clear for docking," the dockmaster says over the comm. "Acknowledged," the pilot replies. He turns to the cadets. "Alright guys, here we go." He docks the shuttle with the Leviathan. Act Four Eight months later... The mess hall door opens and Fredricks walks in. The bartender takes notice of him. "Can I get you something?" he inquires. "Yeah, I'll take a Saurian brandy," Fredricks replies. "Comin' right up." Just then, Fredricks' old friend, Lucas Wells, walks up to him. "Jason?" he asks, almost in disbelief. "Lucas... When did you get assigned to the Leviathan?" Fredricks asks, puzzled. "A couple of days ago, actually. I just finished my tour aboard the ShiKahr, and came aboard when the Leviathan was docked at ESD. Anyway, how are ya?" Wells asks him. "Pretty good. I've been keeping busy." "Here you go. One Saurian brandy," the bartender interrupts, handing Fredricks his drink. "Thanks," Fredricks replies. "Name's Crusoe, by the way. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask," he says, before tending to the needs of another patron. "Will do," Fredricks responds, turning his attention back to Wells. "How was life on the ShiKahr?" "Unbelievably boring. As much as I enjoy science, those people somehow found a way to smother all the fun out of it." Fredricks laughs. "You haven't changed a bit, my friend." "Nope, I'm the same old, same old. Oh, do you know where our next assignment is?" "Imaga I hear," Fredricks suggests, taking a gulp of his drink. "Imaga? There's nothing of interest in that system," Wells replies, raising an eyebrow. "I know, because it's one of the systems we mapped out on the ShiKahr." Fredricks shrugs. The captain's voice is heard over the intercom. "Attention crew of the Leviathan, this is Captain Taggart. We've just received a distress call from the S.S. Break Even. We are moving in to assist them. All hands to the ready!" ... Fredricks and Wells walk down a corridor as other officers run by them. "Hey, you two! Where you headed?" a voice calls them from ahead. "I'm headed for the bridge, sir," Fredricks answers the officer. "Alright, come with me," the officer tells them. They come to the end of the corridor and enter a turbolift. "Bridge," the officer tells the computer. The turbolift makes a whirring sound as it begins to move. "Where'd you get assigned?" Fredricks asks, turning to Wells. "Bridge, same as you." "Science station?" "Yep," Wells replies, nodding. "Oh, Lucas, this is Commander Fuller, the new first officer. Sir, this is my friend Lucas Wells," Fredricks introduces the two. Fuller nods at Wells. "Henry," he says. "Huh?" Wells looks puzzled. "My first name is Henry, but if the anyone asks, you don't know that," Fuller says, smiling. The turbolift doors open, and they walk onto the bridge. Captain Taggart turns to greet them. "Number one, there you are," Taggart says. "Number one?" Fuller questions. "Oh, just something I picked up from my former commanding officer," Taggart chuckles. Fuller nods. "May I present Ensign Lucas Wells, the new science officer. He graduated with several honors in chemistry and the physical sciences." "Welcome aboard, Mr. Wells. Please take your station." Taggart waves Wells to the science station. "Sir! We're nearing the position of the S.S. Break Even," the conn officer reports. "Alright," Taggart acknowledges the officer. "Scan the system for any hostile vessels." "Aye captain," Ensign Koja Nara, the ops officer, replies. "Drop us out of warp," Taggart tells the conn officer. "Sir, may I ask what we are looking for?" Wells asks. Taggart opens his mouth to speak, but Nara interrupts him. "Sir, I'm detecting a Klingon battle cruiser decloaking. They're charging weapons!" "Raise shields!" Fuller orders. "Too late! Brace for impact!" the conn officer yells. The ship quakes violently as the Klingons' torpedoes rip into the hull of the Leviathan. Nara's console explodes in her face. Wells runs over to her and checks her pulse. "She's dead, captain." Taggart turns back to the viewscreen. "Evasive maneuvers, prepare to return fire." "Sir, another volley of torpedoes!" Fredricks shouts. The Leviathan shakes like a ship at sea in the middle of a maelström. A bulkhead falls from the ceiling, crushing the conn officer. "Sir, we can't raise the shields, and weapons systems are offline," Fredricks reports from his station. His console starts beeping. "Klingon boarding parties are beaming in all over the ship, captain!" "Security teams, find and take down the intruders!" Fuller says over the comm. He turns to Taggart. "What in the blazes are Klingons doing this far into our space?" "I don't know." "This is engineering, we need help down here!" the chief engineer shouts frantically over the comm. "The Klingons are... Ahh!" The message fades to static. "Fredricks, take a team to engineering," Taggart orders. "Aye, captain," Fredricks complies. Wells follows Fredricks into the turbolift. "Deck 6, engineering," he tells the computer. Act Five When the turbolift arrives at its destination, they exit onto Deck 6, where Vance L'eher and Jhael Onika are waiting for them. "Sir, the chief engineer is dead. We managed to subdue a few of the Klingons, but we can't retake engineering without more people," Onika tells Fredricks. "This is all we've got. We'll have to make do," Fredricks responds. L'eher sighs. "Here goes nothing..." The four of them charge into engineering, taking the Klingons by surprise. One of the Klingons pulls out a bat'leth and races at Fredricks. Fredricks ducks and rolls to avoid the Klingon's swing. Meanwhile, L'eher and Onika take on several other Klingons. One of them knocks Onika down on his back and headbutts him. Fredricks barely avoids being impaled, and then lunges at the Klingon's knees, knocking him backward. The Klingon stumbles to his feet, and returns the gesture with a palm to Fredricks's face. Wells notices the struggle and points his phaser at the Klingon, careful not to hit Fredricks. He fires a quick burst with his phaser, and takes out the Klingon. "Thanks," Fredricks says, breathing a sigh of relief. The foursome presses on, backing the remaining Klingons into the corner. A few of them manage to transport back onto their ship. "Ha! Cowards," L'eher laughs. "And they call themselves warriors." "Something's not right," Fredricks muses. "Klingons never give up that easily." He taps his combadge. "Captain, we've secured engineering." "Good, please return to the bridge. I'll need you at tactical if the Klingons try anything." "You guys got everything under control here?" Fredricks asks L'eher and Onika. "Don't worry about a thing, sir. This engine room is well looked-after," Onika replies, brushing himself off. "Good. Come on, Lucas." The duo leaves engineering and heads for the bridge. ... Moments later, they exit onto the bridge. No sooner than they step out of the turbolift, a group of Klingons transports onto the bridge. "How long until we can have shields back up?" Taggart asks the stand-in tactical officer, not noticing the Klingons. "Captain, look out!" Fuller yells, seeing the Klingons. He pulls out his phaser, but a Klingon stabs him with a d'k tahg blade before he can use it. Fredricks and Wells are quick to react, and shoot two of the Klingons. The lead Klingon grabs Taggart and beams onto his ship with Taggart in tow. "Captain!" Fredricks yells, too late to save him from the Klingons. "Ugh," Fuller groans, having taken a knife to the chest. "We've got to get a doctor up here, now!" Wells says, kneeling down beside Fuller. Fredricks taps his combadge. "Ensign Fredricks to Dr. Murray, come in please. Dr. Murray?" "This is Ensign Julia Cromwell, I'm afraid that Dr. Murray is dead." Fredricks shakes his head. "Could anything else go wrong today?" "I am a nurse, sir. I will be right up," she continues. "Thank you," he replies. "Fredricks..." Fuller says in almost a whisper, his head propped up on Wells's leg. "Sir?" Fredricks asks. Fuller beckons him closer with his index finger. "I need you to take command of the Leviathan. I can't..." "Sir, you're gonna be alright. Ensign Cromwell will get you fixed up." Fuller shakes his head. "No, Fredricks. You have to salvage this mission. It's... What the captain would want. It—it's up to..." He trails off, struggling to take in air. Wells looks at Fredricks worriedly. "Jason, it looks like that blade pierced his lung. I don't think he's gonna make it." Fredricks slumps down into the captain's chair. He opens the ship's comm channel. "This is Ensign Jason Fredricks to all personnel. Captain Taggart has been captured by the Klingons, and Commander Fuller has been critically wounded. I am hereby taking command of the Leviathan as of stardate 83164.0." Act Six Cromwell enters the bridge, accompanied by a group of officers. "I brought some people to help on the bridge. I didn't know how many officers up here were hurt or injured." "We're the only ones left," Fredricks replies. Fuller gasps loudly. Cromwell runs over to him. "It's going to be alright, sir. Everything's going to be fine," she assures him. Wells looks at her with anticipation. After looking Fuller over, she looks up at Wells and shakes her head. "There's too much blood in his lungs already. I can't do anything for him." "Ernie Hauser, reporting for duty, sir," Hauser tells Fredricks. "What's your specialty?" "I'm an astrometrics scientist, but I don't think you'll have much use for that up here." "No, not really." "I am also a pilot." "Good, take the conn then." Hannah Freeman comes up to Fredricks next. "I can handle communications, sir." He nods. "Ensign Charlie Morgan, sir," Charlie Morgan introduces himself. "I can take the ops station, if you need me too." "Alright." "Jason," Wells pipes up suddenly. "Fuller's dead." Fredricks sighs and puts his head in his hands. "Is the Break Even still out there?" he inquires. "Sir?" Morgan asks. "The... Ship we were here to assist." "I'm not detecting any nearby vessels, sir." "What? That's impossible—it was right there, before the Klingons attacked. At least, the distress call seemed authentic enough..." "It's possible that the distress call was sent by the Klingons," Freeman suggests. "So... It was all a ruse to lure a Federation ship here to attack and pillage?" "It would appear that way." "Jason, I'm detecting some residual antiprotons in the area—it may be coming from a cloaked vessel," Wells adds. "Can we go to impulse?" Fredricks asks. "Not yet, sir," Hauser replies. Fredricks sighs. "Send a distress call to any Starfleet vessel in the area." "But sir, if the Klingons are out there, they'll surely intercept it," Freeman points out. "I know. Send the message, and then send a second one two seconds after." "Alright." She does as Fredricks says. "A piggyback?" Wells inquires thoughtfully. "Hopefully they will focus on the first signal and miss the second," Fredricks replies. "What if it doesn't work?" "Then we're all dead." Suddenly, a Klingon vessel decloaks. "Sir, they are hailing us," Freeman reports. "On-screen." A stout Klingon appears on the viewscreen. "This is Captain Kadek of the I.K.S. Chot. You will be pleased to hear that we have picked up your distress signal and relayed it to your friends at Starfleet. We sent the message via an old Earth method, so it should reach them in three to four... Years." Kadek grins. "Where's Captain Taggart?" Fredricks asks, standing to his feet. "Your captain is safe, for now." "What do you want?" Kadek chuckles. "What makes you think I want something?" "Come on, Kadek, you wouldn't have gone through this kind of trouble if you didn't aim to get something in return." "You're very smart, for such a young officer. Yes, I do want something, ensign. I want your most recent information on the Federation's fleet strategy along the border, and the technical readouts of your vessels. If you give these to me, I will allow your captain to live. If not..." He gestures at one of his officers, and the officer drags Taggart into view, throwing him down at Kadek's feet. Kadek pulls out his d'k tahg and holds it at Taggart's throat. "It is your choice, ensign." "Fredricks, how is the Leviathan?" Taggart asks. "She's holding together, sir." "Commander Fuller, is he...?" Fredricks shakes his head, and Taggart understands. "Then it's up to you to get the Leviathan out of here," Taggart says, holding his hand to his head where it is bleeding. "We won't leave you, sir!" Fredricks assures him. "I'm not worth it. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Get the ship and crew to safety... Number one." Kadek looks up at Fredricks. "Well, Fredricks? What is your decision?" "Farewell, captain," Fredricks replies, saluting Taggart. "Goodbye, ensign. Good luck!" Taggart nods at Fredricks. Fredricks signals Freeman to end the communication. "We're not going to just leave him there, are we?" Wells asks. "Are their shields up?" Fredricks inquires. "No, but..." Morgan starts. "Ready phasers." "Sir, phaser banks are offline." "Torpedoes?" "Same." "Then get this damn ship moving. We'll ram them." "Jason? Are you crazy?" Wells protests. "Hauser, is there a problem?" "No, sir. Diverting auxiliary power to the engines," Hauser replies. Just then, the U.S.S. Renown warps into the system. "The Renown is hailing us, sir." "On-screen." "This is Captain Vo’Lok of the U.S.S. Renown. We were investigating the disappearance of a cargo freighter in the area when we received your distress call. How may we be of service?" Vo’Lok asks. "You got here just in the nick of time, sir. Our weapons are disabled, and Captain Taggart is being held on that Klingon ship." "Leave the Klingons to us." The channel closes. Act Seven The Chot opens fire on the Renown. Both ships exchange fire for several minutes, until the Renown scores a lucky hit to the Chot's engine. The Klingons cease-fire and begin backing away. "Get a transporter lock on Captain Taggart and transport him to sickbay," Vo'Lok tells his ops officer. "Aye, sir." The ops officer attempts to get a lock on Taggart. "Sir... I'm having trouble establishing a transporter lock." "Captain, the Klingons are going to warp!" the tactical officer yells. "Lay in a pursuit course." "Captain, I'm receiving a distress call from another Starfleet vessel. It's the U.S.S. Khitomer," the communications officer reports. Vo'Lok sighs. "Open a channel to the Leviathan." "Open, sir." Fredricks looks up hopefully at Vo'Lok. "Did you get him?" "Unfortunately, we were unable to retrieve the captain..." "Then we've got to go after them." "No, ensign, we cannot. Your ship is still in no condition to fight, and we must now assist the U.S.S. Khitomer." "We can't abandon Captain Taggart." "I am sure that Captain Taggart was prudent enough to inform you of the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few?" Vo'Lok says, lips pursed. Fredricks sighs. "Yes." "Are you in need of any extra personnel?" "We need a tactical officer... At least." Vo'Lok nods. "We will send a group of officers over to assist you, as well as some repair teams." "Then we'll join you in assisting the Khitomer," Fredricks volunteers. "Very well, I suppose that would be acceptable. Can you go to impulse?" "Hauser?" Fredricks asks of Hauser. "Yes, sir. Engines are back online." "Good. We will depart as soon as you are ready, ensign. Renown out." "Sir, we have confirmation from the transporter room. Repair crews are aboard," Morgan reports. "Understood. Helm, match course and speed with the Renown. Engage." To be continued... External Links